24-Hour Bruce

For a long-time Springsteen fan, the hype surrounding today’s half-time performance at the Super Bowl seems almost akin to the craziness at the height of the “Born in the U.S.A.” period. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are everywhere, kind of like Elvis.

There was the comedic press conference performance broadcast on NFL Network Thursday, a full-page spread in today’s New York Times, in which Bruce admitted to making a mistake by distributing a greatest hits package exclusively at Wal-Mart, and additional articles all over the place, including the Washington Post and various smaller media outlets. Of course, this comes in the same week as the release of “Working on a Dream,” an album of pop-oriented tunes that has received decidedly mixed reviews.

Oh, and have I mentioned the cover of “Rolling Stone,” guest dj appearances on E Street Radio, a BBC Radio interview, and, of course, Springsteen’s performance at the “We Are One” concert on the eve of President Obama’s inauguration?

This is all leading up to the hype of today’s 12-minute halftime performance, which will garner Springsteen and E Street the largest audience of their storied career. Rumor has it the horns are on hand to lend their muscle to a four-song set which is expected to include 10th Avenue Freeze-Out, Working on a Dream, Born to Run and Glory Days. How all those songs will fit in 12 minutes is anyone’s guess, but it should certainly be interesting.

And then of course, tomorrow a whole host of Springsteen and E Street shows go on sale at 9 and 10 a.m. With the economy mired in a deep, dark recession, how will ticket sales go, especially outside the Northeast? That’s the million-dollar question, although to give Springsteen credit, he has not raised ticket prices since the recently ended “Magic” tour. Still, it seems there could be a bit of oversaturation of the market when it comes to Bruce.

This will mark the fourth Springsteen tour with E Street since 1999, and in between E Street tours there was also the solo Devils and Dust tour and the folk-inspired Seeger Sessions tour. And in 2004 there were Vote for Change shows with E Street as well. Beyond the hardcore fanbase, how many casual fans will want to pony up the cash to see Bruce and E Street on the road again? Tomorrow’s ticket sales will be interesting indeed.

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About Jean Mikle

Jean Mikle has worked at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years, most recently as an investigative reporter on the Projects Team. In her "other life," she’s a fan and proponent of the Asbury Park music scene, both then (Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny Lyon) and now (Wave Gathering, The Stone Pony, The Saint) and all sorts of new music.

3 Responses to 24-Hour Bruce

Sorry I just got around to reading this blog until today, but I was curious to here what your thoughts are now.

Beyond the hardcore fans, do you think there were a lot of casual fans who were willing to pony up the cash to see Bruce and the E Street Band on the road again? Do you think a lot of casual fans might have decided they wanted to see Bruce after the Super Bowl? Do you think all of those people who are whining about not getting tickets just might be casual fans since the hardcore ones have already started scouring the Backstreets ticket exchange?

I have to admit I was shocked by how quickly all the shows sold out, so maybe some of it was Super Bowl hype. That said, I imagine a good deal of tickets were held back, especially for the New Jersey and Philly shows, so there should be some tickets released as we get closer.

And may I also add…with all due respect to Bruce (And I say this as a hardcore fan)…this is not 1982…he’s almost 60 and, seriously, when was the last time he really had a hit single?

Didn’t you think, as a fan, that by this point in his career shouldn’t his tickets be EASIER to get? Everybody else I listened to 20 years ago is now playing in smaller venues where tickets are easy to get and affordable….shouldn’t Bruce be doing that “concerts in the park circuit” with Kenny Vance and the Playtones and Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge?

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Where the music plays all the time

About the Author

Alex BieseAn Asbury Park Press staff writer since 2005, Alex Biese is a proud member of the local music community, both as a journalist and a musician. Along with his work for the Press, he has written for outlets including MTV.com and Film Festival today magazine.E-mail Alex

Jean MikleJean Mikle has worked at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years, most recently as an investigative reporter on the Projects Team. In her "other life," she’s a fan and proponent of the Asbury Park music scene, both then (Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny Lyon) and now (Wave Gathering, The Stone Pony, The Saint) and all sorts of new music.E-mail Jean